In regards to the end part of my previous post, I think blogging, (at least for broadcast journalists) goes hand in hand with everything else. The fears expressed by critics that it would result in lazy, inaccurate or just trivial information, are the same fears which some had about the establishment of 24-hour rolling news.
Practically anything which can be done casually outside of the newsroom carries the risk of accuracy being threatened by immediacy. Lazy or careless journalism was long here before the rise of blogging.
Although the BBC has seen its network editors such as Political Editor, Nick Robinson write blogs since 2001. Arguably it was the BBC’s Business Editor, Robert Peston, who’s blog (Peston Picks) brought blogging to the forefront of the corporation’s news output in 2008.
First blogging the nationalisation of Northern Rock and then the subsequent banking collapse. Peston’s blog was often the first port of delivery, (and certainly essential reading for people working in finance). This explains why’s it has been so influential, (achieving more than 600.000 hits a day).
Peston says his blog is just as important as all the radio, television and traditional online articles he produces,
“I do see the blog as the absolute cornerstone of the way that I work. It’s central to everything that I do at the BBC” (taken from a student’s blog on the BBC’s Future of Journalism Conference)
I think the greatest danger a blog posses to a broadcast journalist, is that it can become addictive. Broadcast Journalists are already news-junkies, and now with them being able to publish material, interact with comments, explore new angles, even when they are at home, the tendency to never disconnect becomes irresistible.
One final thing, I learnt from the Panorama that even Robert Peston has to have his blog checked before it can be published.
January 29, 2009 at 9:10 am
The Today programme on Radio 4 discussed whether ‘blogging has had it’s day?’ a few months ago.
This is because like you say Scott, Robert Peston and Nick Robinson have blogs, and therefore some argue that the undeground, anti establishment nature of blogging ‘has had it’s day’ and it has effectively become mainstream.
The fact the BBC blogs are veted before they are published speaks volumes. Blogging has become so pervasive and influential that the lines between this and the mainstream media are blurring.